Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties."
The Department of Education, under Biden in 2023 wrote:
"The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from establishing religion and protects religious exercise and religious expression from unwarranted government interference and discrimination. By protecting the rights of all students to participate in religious expression or to choose not to do so, educators, administrators, and other school employees fulfill their constitutional obligations and create the inclusive learning environments necessary for student success.
In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Education released updated guidance on constitutional protections for prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools. This resource draws on that document to answer related frequently asked questions.
Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, all public elementary and secondary schools are required to comply with the standards set forth in the guidance, and each local educational agency receiving funds under the Act must annually certify to its State educational agency that it has no policy that prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in schools."
Under Donald Trump:
"President Donald Trump announced upcoming guidance from the Department of Education protecting prayer in public schools during a speech at his Religious Liberty Commission’s Sept. 8 hearing.
The hearing, held at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, marked the commission’s second public meeting and had a theme of “Religious Liberty in Public Education.”
Trump has long vowed to bring religion back to the nation, both on the campaign trail and so far during his second term. He walked out to the crowd at the Museum of the Bible shortly after 10:30 a.m., thanking the commission for doing an “amazing job.”
He said his administration would “protect the Judeo-Christian values of our founding.” Later in the day, the White House published an article listing Trump's "Top 100 Victories for People of Faith."
“To have a great nation, you have to have religion – I believe that so strongly,” Trump said at the hearing. “There has to be something after we go through all of this, and that something is God.”
He went on to allege that students are “indoctrinated with antireligious propaganda” in public schools before announcing the new Department of Education guidance. It was not immediately clear what the guidance would entail."
